I’ve been spending quite a lot of time lately in my head making plans for the future, but my mind tends to wander to the bigger picture/ long term view; for those who know me, they know details are not my forte!

So, I’ve decided to make a proper plan for Johnny Magory in 2019 and put it in the form of a blog post so I can be held accountable by you good people! Crazy, I know, but I’ve never done this before for the books, so this is definitely a new chapter for me (no pun intended!)

As a rule, I’m great to come up with the big sweeping, impressive idea; but I’m rubbish at specifically itemising the steps and actions necessary to pull things off.  However, I am extremely grateful for the fact that I’ve got loads of ‘detail-lovers’ around me in life who step in whenever I need them (specifically my mother- she is the undisputed queen of detail and I would be lost without her in everything I do; thank you Mammy!)

 

Purpose, Vision and Values.

Before I can start with the plan though, I need to ensure I’m crystal clear on my purpose, vision and values – why am I doing this, what do I aim to do and what’s going to guide me along the way?

The aim of the books is to educate and instil a sense of pride and passion in young children about Irish wildlife, heritage and culture – that’s my vision statement right there which I now have printed inside the books as a reminder.

My purpose quite simply, is to get children outside exploring. The books are written in a way to promote curiosity in children; to fire up their imaginations and make them want to ‘go explore’ when they wake up in the morning.

That’s important to me as a parent – I want my kids to have the same upbringing as me, outside all the time, exploring the world and getting up to all sorts of harm! We also had a book read to us every night and this undoubtedly led to my entire family’s love and obsession of books and our often-wild imaginations (thank you Ma and Da!)

Great so I have my purpose and vision statement. What are my values now? What do I want to refer to in everything I do? Adventure. Education. Family. Fun.

  • Adventure – be curious and explore anytime, anyplace.
  • Education – use every opportunity to learn and teach.
  • Family – the single most important relationship, always look for ways to bring families closer.
  • Fun – do what you enjoy and bring fun into everything you do.

 

Strategy – my plan of war!

It’s funny, every time I think of the word ‘strategy’, I instantly follow it up with the words ‘the plan of war’. This is down to my Strategy lecturer from my Business Management Degree who literally said if we remember nothing else from her course it was to remember that your strategy is your plan of war – how your going to do what you want to do! She repeated it around 4 times every lecture, so her method worked! So here ‘s the plan.

Firstly, I’m committing to having four ‘Adventure Days’ in 2019 – one in each season. I’ve held one a year for the last two years for National Heritage Week and the feedback has been fantastic. The aim of these days is to fulfill my purpose – get children outside exploring; and these days literally do as they say on the tin! I will be having the days in different locations (not just my beloved Ballynafagh Lake!) to continue my journey educating kids about the history, flora and fauna of our beautiful little country. Watch this space for more information and tickets soon!

 

Secondly, I’m committing to having 2 new publications in 2019. I’m specifically using the word publication because I intend on having one new story book and then something a little different but new and really exciting for Little Explorers. My lips are sealed on this at the moment though! The story is a Christmas one and I’m aiming to have it printed and starting to go into shops in September. I’ll give one clue on the story line for now, the rest you will have to wait for… Clue; the Phoenix Park!

Thirdly, I’m committing to one book reading a month in a school, library, creche etc. I really love doing these and the children always seem to get so much out of them. I’ll be continuing to read in Crumlin children’s hospital also.  Don’t be afraid to get in touch if you’ve a place you’d like me to visit, email johnnymagory@outlook.ie anytime and we’ll see what we can do.

 

The Grand Plan

So there you have it, and there I have it; in writing – for all the world to see and hold me accountable.

Now the devil will be in the detail of course but naturally, I’ll be turning to my trusty ‘detail-lovers’ for help with that!

I’m excited my high-level plan is on paper and I’m biting at the bit for 2019 – it’s going to be a great one.

Be good,

EJ

 

PS – click here to sign up to our distribution list.

 

Follow the Story

Keep up to speed with Johnny Magory Books. Follow us on Social Media

Image result for facebook symbol   www.Facebook.com/JohnnyMagoryBooks

Related image www.Twitter.com/Johnny_Magory

Image result for Instagram symbol www.Instagram.com/JohnnyMagoryBooks

#GoExplore #ChildrensBook #JohnnyMagory #BlogPost

Click here to buy a signed Johnny Magory book all for yourself *or a little explorer!